Three Years Worth Of 1WTC Pictures, And Some Cars Too

"Jonathan Harper" (jbh) 08/02/2013 at 09:56 • Filed to: classic car club, jbh, 1wtc, freedom tower

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I've been taking pictures of 1WTC since I started working at the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! about three years ago, and now I've got !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

People accuse me of being obsessed with 1WTC, and to be fair, I kind of am. September 11th left a mark on me, it was close to home in the most literal sense. From my hometown in North Jersey we could see smoke rising from lower Manhattan that day, parents of kids I knew perished, and the skyline was never the same.

To see this shiny new skyscraper rise to completion has been particularly fulfilling for me, not just as a memorial to those we lost, but also as a big New York style middle finger to all those heinous characters who's goal is terror and chaos. We made it; and we're better than ever.

So take a moment and enjoy a wide variety of angles from a wide variety of cars, you won't be disappointed: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > Jonathan Harper 08/02/2013 at 10:04

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I made it a point to visit the 9/11 Memorial when I was in NJ for Sandy.

While I don't have a direct connection to anyone that perished that day, I was affected by it. One year to the day of those events, I was on the ground in Afghanistan launching combat sorties against Taliban insurgents.

Great pictures JBH.

Jonathan Harper > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole 08/02/2013 at 10:26

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Thanks!

racingmaniac > Jonathan Harper 08/02/2013 at 10:53

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Disappointed because FB album....for whaever reason the way they do the compression often made the pic looks not as good...

And can't view at work....lol

Rickster3rd ¯\_()_/¯ > Jonathan Harper 08/02/2013 at 10:54

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Stunning photo montage of America's recovery since 9/11 seeing 1WTC completed over the span of time here. Also your choice of shot locations (cars) are beautiful. Excellent composition and thanks for sharing.

Monsterajr > Jonathan Harper 08/02/2013 at 11:04

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As someone who literally watched the second plane disappear into the south tower while standing in front of the Blarney Stone and having worked on the PATH Hub project I know how you feel. I have many pics from my time working there as well as some from atop the tower. Most of my more recent pics are on a different computer but here is one from around 2009

Thanks for sharing!

IFTNFS > Jonathan Harper 08/02/2013 at 12:13

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I'm quite glad that progress on the tower continues. My uncle works not far from there and often sends me pictures, and I've enjoyed seeing it inch towards completion.

I've been there a couple of times myself over the last few years, too. The memorial grounds were so tastefully done - it's just plain moving in ways that I can't truly describe.

Jonathan Harper > IFTNFS 08/02/2013 at 12:34

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I quite agree.

Rosetto Viacava > Jonathan Harper 08/02/2013 at 12:40

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I was pretty damn obsessed with the twin towers... I went up to the observation deck every year when I visit my family in Bronx. It felt pretty fucking weird and depressing to find both buildings dug up and gone when I went again in 2002. I still miss them sometimes... Do you have a recent picture of 1WTC construction progress?

Jonathan Harper > Rosetto Viacava 08/02/2013 at 13:13

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The most recent picture in that album is from today.

Rosetto Viacava > Jonathan Harper 08/02/2013 at 13:31

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Thanks man... Not bad looking for a modern building.

PragmaticPanda > Jonathan Harper 08/02/2013 at 13:55

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Why do you oversaturate your colors on your computer so much? Chromatic aberration turn you on?

Jonathan Harper > PragmaticPanda 08/02/2013 at 13:59

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I had just gotten an iPhone and went a bit overboard with the Instagram and Camera+ stuff. Most of the more recent pics have no filter.

PragmaticPanda > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole 08/02/2013 at 14:00

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Affected by it? You drove to a recruiter, intended to/bought into the idea of the military, and signed a contract. You ended up in Afghanistan by your own choosing. Why do military people always insist on name dropping? Are you fishing for compliments? You have the vet license plate and the stickers on your window doncha?

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > PragmaticPanda 08/02/2013 at 14:59

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I had been in the military for 365 days on 9/11/2001. Before that, the only real "deployments" I was subject to, were Operation Southern Watch deployments to Kuwait. 9/11 changed all that, so yes, I was affected by it. I did go to a recruiter and I did sign on the line knowing that I might have to go to some shithole and get shot at. The fact that I went never pissed me off or made me mad. We all remember where we were on that day, but I'll remember where I was 365 days after that event. It's not name dropping, JBH had friends lose loved ones that day and I happened to be deployed overseas as a result of that day, that's all.

I don't need, nor do I want compliments. I'm proud of what I did and give no fucks what anyone else thinks about it. I only bring it up if it's relevant to the conversation at hand, like this one. It's known on Oppo and Jalopnik that I am a veteran because of what I've posted regarding stories posted here, not because I'm looking for praise or a handjob from other commenters because I visited Uncle 'Stan a couple of times.

I don't have a veteran plate on either of my cars, nor any window stickers signifying my status as a veteran.

Jonathan Harper > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole 08/02/2013 at 21:27

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Thanks for your service Dukie.

Jonathan Harper > Monsterajr 08/02/2013 at 21:28

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Cheers!

Jonathan Harper > Rickster3rd ¯\_()_/¯ 08/02/2013 at 21:28

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Thanks

Monsterajr > Jonathan Harper 08/03/2013 at 14:50

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View from the Top back in January when the antennae was being installed. Note the shadow.

Jonathan Harper > Monsterajr 08/03/2013 at 19:43

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You took this? Im so jealous.

Monsterajr > Jonathan Harper 08/03/2013 at 23:11

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Yes, I've had some amazing access through my work. Still go from time to time. due for a visit end of August

Jonathan Harper > Monsterajr 08/04/2013 at 08:30

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Bring me!

Monsterajr > Jonathan Harper 08/04/2013 at 13:53

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See what I can do, I'll keep you posted...

Jonathan Harper > Monsterajr 08/04/2013 at 14:38

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Please do! I would certainly be able to give you a ride in some kind of awesome car from CCC in return.

Monsterajr > Jonathan Harper 08/05/2013 at 08:01

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Once I know I'll reach out to you. Thanks for the offer too! BTW, I've been to CCC b4 when Jalop was supposed to have a taping but it got cancelled. And on a weirder note, your space used to be the site/field office of a Contractor doing a Station Rehab project I was in charge of back in the late 90's. Place looked a lot different then.